


Bad Reception

by Rehearsal_Dweller



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, Quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:00:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehearsal_Dweller/pseuds/Rehearsal_Dweller
Summary: The floor has been falling out from under them for weeks now, and they made the official call at the beginning of June – Jack Kelly and David Jacobs’s wedding is postponed indefinitely.
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Comments: 30
Kudos: 69





	Bad Reception

**Author's Note:**

> I am upset. Feel free to skip this one if you want, it's really just a good old vent fic.

“Did you hear about Florida?” Jack asks, sprawled on the couch.

“Yeah, Jackie,” says Davey, “I heard about Florida. I couldn’t _not_ hear about Florida.” He nudges Jack’s legs out of the way so he can sit down. “What’s up, love?”

“I just –“ Jack makes a strangled sound of frustration. “How can – how the fuck – _Davey_.”

“Yeah, I know,” Davey says. He puts a hand on Jack’s knee. “Jack?”

“We’re – we were supposed to be travelling today,” Jack says quietly. “Dad posted about it, and it’s just so un-fucking-fair, you know?”

“Yeah, love, it is,” Davey replies. He pulls Jack into his arms, laying back against the arm of the couch.

“Did you know Disney World is reopening next week?” Jack asks, his face buried in Davey’s shirt. “It’s not safe for us to get married but fucking _Disney World_ is reopening.”

“I know, love,” says Davey. He runs his fingers through Jack’s hair. “I know.”

They’ve been quarantining for three months, they’ve been doing the whole thing right. David’s been working from home, and Jack hasn’t had any of his usual gigs with the theatres closed so he’s been trying to expand his online presence as an artist. They don’t leave unless they have to, only for things like groceries and checking the mail every few days. They wear masks when they’re out of the house. They don’t touch their friends when they run into them, just wave from a very appropriate social distance.

When all of this started, it really looked like by the time their wedding rolled around things would be okay.

The floor has been falling out from under them for weeks now, and they made the official call at the beginning of June – Jack Kelly and David Jacobs’s wedding is postponed indefinitely.

They reached out to everyone who had responded to let them know, which, naturally, means that the closer they get to the date the more people who _hadn’t_ RSVPed have been reaching out to ask what’s going on.

David’s patience has been wearing thin, and it took all of his not inconsiderable self control not to bite his cousin’s head off when he called three days ago.

Jack has been pulling apart at the seams little by little with every decision they had to make, every email they had to send, every family member who checked in a little more often than was strictly necessary.

Bryan’s facebook post this morning was clearly the final straw – David can see in Jack’s eyes that he’s reached his limit.

“How are you okay, Davey?” Jack asks.

“Oh, Jackie, love,” says Davey, “I’m _not_.”

David isn’t sure how long they lay together on the couch. He’s breathing slowly, trying to keep it measured and even. He focuses on Jack – Jack’s arm, which has been shoved underneath him so they’re holding each other in more of a hug, Jack’s hair, which is brushing against David’s jaw, Jack’s legs, entangled with his own. He holds Jack’s free hand with the arm that isn’t wrapped around Jack’s back, clinging to each other like it’s a lifeline.

Jack’s breathing is uneven and shaky, and there’s a growing wet spot soaking into David’s shirt from the tears Jack’s trying not to let him see.

They were supposed to get married on Saturday, six days from now. Today they should be flying home, and this week should be all about getting their friends in order, finishing the last arrangements, picking up their tuxes.

They should be getting married this week and instead –

Instead they’re curled around each other on their couch, holding onto each other like their lives depend on it.

Instead they haven’t seen their friends in months, their families in longer.

Instead they’re alone. Alone together, but alone.

Distantly, David wonders how much worse this all would’ve been if they didn’t already live together. Sure, this whole quarantine situation has sucked, but at least at the end of the day he gets to crawl into bed with his fiancé and have that tiny sliver of normalcy. At least if they can’t get married this week they will still get married, and in the meantime they’re together.

Knowing those things does not make this moment any better.

The fact of the matter is that this fucking hurts.

There’s no two ways about it. This sucks.

They’re responsible human beings, so they’re not going to try to have a fucking wedding in the middle of this. Even if they wanted to, their venue is closed indefinitely.

(Their venue keeps asking what their new date is, so they can hold it, and every time a new email comes in David wants to actually walk away from his computer and scream for a few minutes. He hasn’t done it yet but he might do it come Saturday.)

But God, David wants to be married to Jack. It’s not fair, none of this is fair, and it feels like there isn’t a single person in his life – save Jack – who actually understands how torn to shreds David feels.

He kisses the top of Jack’s head. His silent sobs have evened out somewhat, into ragged but steady breaths. Jack picks his head up off of David’s chest, looking up to meet his eye.

“I love you, Davey,” Jack says.

David smiles, a little sadly, and kisses his fiancé. “I love you, too, Jack.”


End file.
